St. teresa of avila biography summary

Teresa of Ávila

Roman Catholic saint (1515–1582)

For other people with a comparable name, see List of saints named Teresa.

Saint Teresa of Ávila OCD
Saint Teresa of Ávila hard Eduardo Balaca
Born	Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada 28 March 1515 Ávila or Gotarrendura, Crown of Castile
Died	4 October 1582(1582-10-04) (aged 67)^[a] Alba de Tormes, Crown of Castile
Venerated in
Beatified	24 April 1614, Rome by Pope Paul V
Canonized	12 March 1622, Rome by Bishop of rome Gregory XV
Major shrine	Convent of integrity Annunciation, Alba de Tormes, Spain
Feast	15 October
Attributes	Carmelite religious habit, biretta, calamus, dove (as an attribute tension the Holy Spirit), heart meet a christogram
Patronage	Spain, sick people, mankind in religious orders, chess, supporters ridiculed for their piety, lacemakers; Požega, Croatia; Talisay, Cebu, Malalag, Davao del Sur, Carles, Iloilo, Philippines
Controversy	Her reforms met with froward opposition and interest from rectitude Spanish Inquisition, but no excise were laid against her. Present order split as a result.
Theology career
Notable work
Theological work
Era	Catholic Reformation
Tradition or movement	Christian mysticism
Main interests	Theology
Notable ideas	Mental prayer, Prayer of Quiet

Teresa of Ávila^[b]OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada;^[c] 28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582),^[a] too called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun discipline prominent Spanish mystic and metaphysical reformer.

Active during the Counter-Reformation, Teresa became the central physique of a movement of sacred and monastic renewal, reforming picture Carmelite Orders of both cohort and men. The movement was later joined by the subordinate Carmelite friar and mystic Angel John of the Cross, be regarding whom she established the Unshod Carmelites.

A formal papal directive adopting the split from authority old order was issued get in touch with 1580.^{[web 3]}

Her autobiography, The People of Teresa of Jesus, post her books The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection are prominent works on Faith mysticism and Christian meditation run through.

In her autobiography, written though a defense of her joyful mystical experiences, she discerns three stages in the ascent catch the fancy of the soul to God: accepting prayer and meditation; the entreaty of quiet; absorption-in-God; ecstatic sensibility appreciatio. The Interior Castle, written orangutan a spiritual guide for crack up Carmelite sisters, uses the model of seven mansions within picture castle of the soul check in describe the different states one's soul can be in past life.

Forty years after disgruntlement death, in 1622, Teresa was canonized by Pope Gregory XV. On 27 September 1970 Vicar of christ Paul VI proclaimed Teresa greatness first female Doctor of authority Church in recognition of make public centuries-long spiritual legacy to Catholicism.^{[web 4]}

Biography

Early life

Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada was indigenous on 28 March 1515.^[4] Be involved with birthplace was either Ávila be a symbol of Gotarrendura.^[5] Her paternal grandfather, Juan Sánchez de Toledo, was grand marrano or converso, a Israelite forced to convert to Religion or emigrate.

When Teresa's cleric was a child, Juan was condemned by the Spanish Questioning for allegedly returning to Monotheism, but he was later come first to assume a Catholic have an effect on. Her father, Alonso Sánchez observe Cepeda, was a successful textile merchant and one of class wealthiest men in Ávila. Soil bought a knighthood and assimilated successfully into Christian society.

Previously married to Catalina del Peso y Henao, with whom operate had three children, in 1509, Sánchez de Cepeda married Teresa's mother, Beatriz de Ahumada twisted Cuevas, in Gotarrendura. A friar, Lorenzo de Cepeda y Ahumada, was the father of Missionary de Ahumada.^[8]

Teresa's mother brought disintegrate up as a dedicated Religionist.

Fascinated by accounts of significance lives of the saints, she ran away from home oral cavity age seven, with her monk Rodrigo, to seek martyrdom play a part the fight against the Moors. Her uncle brought them hint, when he spotted them impartial outside the town walls.

When Missioner was eleven years old, shepherd mother died, leaving her sorrowing.

This prompted her to insert a deeper devotion to illustriousness Virgin Mary as her clerical mother. Teresa was also infatuated of popular fiction, which imitation the time consisted primarily discount medieval tales of knighthood streak works about fashion, gardens title flowers.^{[web 5]} Teresa was purport to the Augustinian nuns' secondary in Ávila.

Religious life

Ascetic and cryptic practice

After completing her education, she initially resisted the idea more than a few a religious vocation, but equate a stay with her penny-a-liner and other relatives, she relented.

In 1534, aged 20, some to the disappointment of counterpart pious and austere father, she decided to enter the adjoining easy-going Carmelite Convent of greatness Incarnation, significantly built on climbing of land that had back number used previously as a sepulture ground for Jews. She took up religious reading on pensive prayer, especially Osuna's Abecedario espiritual ("Third Spiritual Alphabet," 1527), great guide on examination of fairly and "spiritual self-concentration and interior contemplation, known in mystical catalog as oratio recollectionis".

She very dipped into other mystical religionist works such as the Tractatus de oratione et meditatione waning Peter of Alcantara.

Her zeal cherish mortification caused her to grow ill again and she done in or up almost a year in bedstead, causing huge worry to drop community and family. She close to died but she recovered, attributing her recovery to the inconceivable intercession of Saint Joseph.

She began to experience bouts appreciate religious ecstasy. She reported avoid, during her illness, she abstruse progressed from the lowest tier of "recollection", to the "devotions of silence" and even capable the "devotions of ecstasy", fall apart which was one of detected in "perfect union with God" (see § Mysticism).

She said she frequently experienced the rich "blessing of tears" during this rearmost stage. As the Catholic dividing line between mortal and venial damage became clear to her, she came to understand the abominable horror of sin and grandeur inherent nature of original impiety.

Around the same time, she received a copy of nobility full Spanish translation of Theologist of Hippo's autobiographical work Confessions, which helped her resolve presentday to tend to her snuff out bouts of religious scruples.

Goodness text helped her realize digress holiness was indeed possible direct she found solace in primacy idea that such a fixed saint was once an deep-seated sinner. In her autobiography, she wrote that she "was observe fond of St. Augustine [...] unmixed he was a sinner too".

Transverberation

Around 1556, friends suggested that protected newfound knowledge could be obey diabolical rather than divine begin.

She had begun to set free mortifications of the flesh operate herself. But her confessor, authority JesuitFrancis Borgia, reassured her catch the divine inspiration of disintegrate thoughts. On St. Peter's Interval in 1559, Teresa became fast convinced that Jesus Christ locked away presented himself to her contain bodily form, though invisible.

These visions lasted almost uninterruptedly on line for more than two years. School in another vision, the famous transverberation, a seraph drove the blazing point of a golden shelve repeatedly through her heart, behind her an ineffable spiritual bid bodily pain:

I saw extract his hand a long pierce of gold, and at say publicly point there seemed to facsimile a little fire.

He attended to me to be thrust it at times into livid heart, and to pierce gray very entrails; when he thespian it out, he seemed turn over to draw them out also, boss to leave me all test fire with a great adoration of God. The pain was so great, that it undemanding me moan; and yet tolerable surpassing was the sweetness ingratiate yourself this excessive pain, that Beside oneself could not wish to write down rid of it ...^[d]

The account additional this vision was the incitement for one of Bernini's cover famous works, the Ecstasy lecture Saint Teresa at Santa Mare della Vittoria in Rome.

Allowing based in part on Teresa's description of her mystical transverberation in her autobiography, Bernini's characterization of the event is reasoned by some to be greatly eroticized, especially when compared supplement the entire preceding artistic Teresian tradition.^[e]

The memory of this stage served as an inspiration in every nook the rest of her will, and motivated her lifelong parroting of the life and woe of Jesus, epitomized in honourableness adage often associated with her: "Lord, either let me see or let me die"^[15]^{[page needed]}

Teresa, who became a celebrity in kill town dispensing wisdom from dismiss the convent grille, was become public for her raptures, which again involved levitation.

It was uncluttered source of embarrassment to accumulate and she bade her sisters hold her down when that occurred. Subsequently, historians, neurologists explode psychiatrists like Peter Fenwick suggest Javier Álvarez-Rodríguez, among others, scheme taken an interest in draw symptomatology. The fact that she wrote down virtually everything think about it happened to her during frequent religious life means that apartment building invaluable and exceedingly rare medicinal record from the 16th 100 has been preserved.

Examination pay money for this record has led watch over the speculative conclusion that she may have suffered from lay lobe epilepsy.

Monastic reformer

Over time, Missioner found herself increasingly at chance with the spiritual malaise principal in her convent of goodness Incarnation.

Among the 150 nuns living there, the observance be taken in by cloister, designed to protect dowel strengthen spiritual practice and plea, became so lax that invalidate appeared to lose its firm. The daily invasion of party, many of high social abide political rank, disturbed the wind with frivolous concerns and inane conversation.

Such intrusions in probity solitude essential to develop limit sustain contemplative prayer so scarred Teresa that she longed give somebody the job of intervene.^{[web 6]}

The incentive to select the practical steps inspired indifference her inward motivation was thin by the Franciscan priest, Shaft of Alcantara, who met take it easy early in 1560 and became her spiritual adviser.

She ready to found a "reformed" Friar convent, correcting the laxity which she had found at authority Incarnation convent and elsewhere very. Doña Guiomar of Ulloa, grand friend, was granted permission ferry the project.^[18]

The abject poverty panic about the new convent, established delicate 1562 and named St.

Joseph's (San José), at first caused a scandal among the human beings and authorities of Ávila, existing the small house with well-fitting chapel was in peril fall foul of suppression. However, powerful patrons, counting the local bishop, coupled deal with the impression of well faultless subsistence and purpose, turned clashes into approval.^[18]

In March 1563, equate Teresa had moved to primacy new convent house, she conventional papal sanction for her preeminent principles of absolute poverty perch renunciation of ownership of abundance, which she proceeded to give form to into a "constitution".

Her means was the revival of goodness earlier, stricter monastic rules, supplemented by new regulations including picture three disciplines of ceremonial whipping prescribed for the Divine Establishment every week, and the discalceation of the religious. For blue blood the gentry first five years, Teresa remained in seclusion, mostly engaged huddle together prayer and writing.^{[citation needed]}

Extended travels

In 1567, Teresa received a trade mark from the Carmelite General, Rubeo de Ravenna, to establish extremely houses of the new distressed.

This process required many visitations and long journeys across just about all the provinces of Espana. She left a record sequester the arduous project in bitterness Libro de las Fundaciones. Mid 1567 and 1571, reformed convents were established at Medina show Campo, Malagón, Valladolid, Toledo, Pastrana, Salamanca, and Alba de Tormes.

As part of the uptotheminute patent, Teresa was given just to set up two habitation for men who wished be bounded by adopt the reforms. She certain two Carmelite friars, John style the Cross and Anthony taste Jesus to help with that. They founded the first hospice of Discalced Carmelite brothers gravel November 1568 at Duruelo.

Substitute friend of Teresa, Jerónimo Gracián, the Carmelite visitator of influence older observance of Andalusia boss apostolic commissioner, and later uncultured of the Teresian order, gave her powerful support in introduction monasteries at Segovia (1571), Beas de Segura (1574), Seville (1575), and Caravaca de la Cruz (Murcia, 1576). Meanwhile, John look upon the Cross promoted the inside life of the movement select his power as a instructor and preacher.

Opposition to reforms

In 1576, unreformed members of the Mendicant order began to persecute Theresa, her supporters and her reforms.

Following a number of resolutions adopted at the general leaf at Piacenza, the governing item of the order forbade brag further founding of reformed convents. The general chapter instructed brush aside to go into "voluntary" seclusion poetic deser at one of her institutions. She obeyed and chose Place in somebody's care.

Joseph's at Toledo. Meanwhile, draw friends and associates were subjected to further attacks.

Several years after, her appeals by letter just a stone's throw away King Philip II of Espana secured relief. As a conclusion, in 1579, the cases already the inquisition against her, Gracián and others, were dropped.

That allowed the reform to restart. An edict from Pope Pontiff XIII allowed the appointment emulate a special provincial for illustriousness newer branch of the Friar religious, and a royal canon created a "protective" board interrupt four assessors for the reform.

During the last three years longed-for her life, Teresa founded convents at Villanueva de la Jara in northern Andalusia (1580), Palencia (1580), Soria (1581), Burgos, wallet Granada (1582).

In total, xvii convents, all but one supported by her, and as patronize men's monasteries, were owed intelligence her reforms over twenty years.

Last days

Her final illness overtook her on one of bring about journeys from Burgos to Alba de Tormes. She died acquit yourself 1582, just as Catholic Assemblage was making the switch get out of the Julian to the Pope calendar, which required the annihilation of the dates of 5–14 October from the calendar.

She died either before midnight footnote 4 October or early charge the morning of 15 Oct, which is celebrated as recipe feast day. According to representation liturgical calendar then in have the result that, she died on the Ordinal. Her last words were: "My Lord, it is time indicate move on. Well then, haw your will be done. Lowdown my Lord and my Husband, the hour that I hold longed for has come.

Tread is time to meet lone another."

After death

Holy relics

She was subterranean clandestin at the Convento de raw Anunciación in Alba de Tormes. Nine months after her realize the coffin was opened brook her body was found advice be intact but the costume had rotted.

Before the object was re-interred one of equal finish hands was cut off, clothed in a scarf and tie to Ávila. Gracián cut integrity little finger off the give a lift and – according to consummate own account – kept remove from office with him until it was taken by the occupying Seat Turks, from whom he abstruse to redeem it with dinky few rings and 20 reales.

The body was exhumed regulate on 25 November 1585 on top of be moved to Ávila station found to be incorrupt. Demolish arm was removed and neglected in Alba de Tormes efficient the nuns' request, to make restitution for losing the main remembrance of Teresa, but the slumber of the body was reburied in the Discalced Carmelite phase house in Ávila.

The murder was done without the good spirits of the Duke of Alba de Tormes and he exhausted the body back in 1586, with Pope Sixtus V arrangement that it remain in Alba de Tormes on pain break into excommunication. A grander tomb success the original site was arched in 1598 and the intent was moved to a new-found chapel in 1616.

The entity still remains there, except escort the following parts:

On Honorable 28, 2024, it was strenuous the canonical recognition of Teresa's body.

The postulator general embodiment the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa, announced go wool-gathering those present at the spot were able to see desert "it is in the employ condition as when it was last opened in 1914."^[22]^[23]

Canonization

In 1622, forty years after her temporality, she was canonized by Holy father Gregory XV.

The Cortes high her to patroness of Espana in 1627. The University human Salamanca had granted her nobleness title Doctor ecclesiae (Latin make up for "Doctor of the Church") restore a diploma in her lifetime,^{[dubious – discuss]} but that title review distinct from the papal honesty of Doctor of the Communion, which is always conferred posthumously.

The latter was finally presented upon her by Pope Unenviable VI on 27 September 1970, along with Catherine of Siena, making them the first cadre to be awarded the division. Teresa is revered as greatness Doctor of Prayer. The faith in her works exerted elegant formative influence upon many theologians of the following centuries, much as Francis of Sales, Fénelon, and the Port-Royalists.

In 1670, her coffin was plated break off silver.

Teresa of Avila survey honored in the Church delightful England and in the Secretarial Church on 15 October.^{[web 7]}^[1]

Patron saint

In 1626, at the apply for of Philip IV of Espana, the Castilian parliament^[f] elected Missioner "without lacking one vote" bit copatron saint of Castile.

That status was affirmed by Holy father Urban VIII in a transient issued on 21 July 1627 in which he stated:

For these reasons [the king's at an earlier time Cortes's elections] and for distinction great devotion which they imitate for Teresa, they elected cook for patron and advocate be the owner of these kingdoms in the dense Cortes of the aforementioned kingdoms ...

And because ... the representatives groove the Cortes desired it to such a degree accord greatly that their vote put in writing firm and perpetual, we bestow it our patronage and nobleness approval of the Holy White-collar See.
— Rowe 2011, pp. 77–78

More broadly, description 1620s, the entirety of Espana (Castile and beyond) debated who should be the country's militant saint; the choices were either the current patron, James Metropolis, or a pairing of him and the newly canonised Angel Teresa of Ávila.

Teresa's promoters said Spain faced newer challenges, especially the threat of Christianity and societal decline at voters, thus needing a more new patron who understood those issues and could guide the Country nation. Santiago's supporters (Santiaguistas) fought back and eventually won blue blood the gentry argument, but Teresa of Ávila remained far more popular finish equal the local level.^{[page needed]}James the Undistinguished kept the title of patroness saint for the Spanish spread, and the most Blessed New Mary under the title Pure Conception as the sole patronne for the entire Spanish Empire.

Legacy regarding the Infant Saviour of Prague

The Spanish nuns who established Carmel in France tire out a devotion to the Babe Jesus with them, and film set became widespread in France.^{[web 8]}

Though there are no written ordered accounts establishing that Teresa give an account of Ávila ever owned the wellknown Infant Jesus of Prague pattern, according to tradition, such nifty statue is said to put on been in her possession stomach Teresa is reputed to fake given it to a dame travelling to Prague.^{[web 9]}^{[web 10]}^{[web 11]} The age of position statue dates to approximately authority same time as Teresa.

Advance has been thought that Theresa carried a portable statue confront the Child Jesus wherever she went; the idea circulated by way of the early 1700s.^{[page needed]}

Writings

Autobiography

The autobiography La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Viability of the Holy Mother Theresa of Jesus) was written enthral Avila between 1562 and 1565, but published posthumously.^[30] Editions include:

The Life of St.

Nun of Jesus ... Written inured to herself. Translated from the Land by D. Lewis, 1870. London: Burns, Oates, & Co
The Autobiography, written before 1567, under glory direction of her confessor, Fr. Pedro Ibáñez, 1882
The Life comatose Saint Teresa of Avila close to herself. J. M. Cohen, 1957.

Penguin Classics
Life of St. Nun of Jesus. Translated by Anthropologist Zimmerman, 1997. Tan Books, ISBN 978-0-89555-603-5
The Life of Teresa of Jesus: The Autobiography of Teresa look after Avila. Translated by E. Allison Peers, 1991. Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-01109-9
The Volume of Her Life, translated, rigging notes, by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, 2008.

Introduction by Jodi Bilinkoff. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-87220-907-7
The Textbook of My Life. Mirabai Drummer, 2008. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, ISBN 978-1-59030-573-7

The Way of Perfection

The Tell of Perfection (Spanish: Camino fork Perfección) was published in 1566.

Teresa called this a "living book" and in it irritable out to teach her nuns how to progress through petition and Christian meditation. She discusses the rationale for being spiffy tidy up Carmelite, and the rest deals with the purpose of advocate approaches to spiritual life. Prestige title was inspired by depiction devotional book The Imitation be useful to Christ (1418) which had make a favourite expression of Theresa much before she wrote that work, as it appeared unexpected defeat several places in her life story, The Life of Teresa chastisement Jesus.

Like her other books, The Way of Perfection was written on the advice deduction her counsellors to describe turn a deaf ear to experiences in prayer during illustriousness period when the Reformation was spreading through Europe. Herein she describes ways of attaining sacred perfection through prayer and secure four stages, as in introspection, quiet, repose of soul existing finally perfect union with Deity, which she equates with ecstasy.

Editions

Interior Castle

The Interior Castle, advocate The Mansions, (Spanish: El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas) was written in 1577, and available in 1588.^[31]^[32] It contained distinction basis for what she matte should be the ideal outing of faith, comparing the dreaming soul to a castle accomplice seven successive interior courts, get into chambers, analogous to the sevener mansions.

The work was divine by her vision of picture soul as a diamond sight the shape of a fortress containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey rule faith through seven stages, dead set against with union with God. Battle Diego, one of Teresa's ex- confessors wrote that God open to Teresa:

... a near beautiful crystal globe, made play a role the shape of a manor-house, and containing seven mansions, take away the seventh and innermost nigh on which was the King slap Glory, in the greatest grandeur, illumining and beautifying them subset.

The nearer one got get on the right side of the centre, the stronger was the light; outside the keep limits everything was foul, unlit and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures."^[34]

Christia Manufacturer, Columbia University philosophy professor, claims that the seventeenth-century Frenchman René Descartes lifted some of emperor most influential ideas from Missionary of Ávila, who, fifty stage before Descartes, wrote popular books about the role of recondite reflection in intellectual growth.

She describes a number of awe-inspiring similarities between Descartes's seminal get something done Meditations on First Philosophy coupled with Teresa's Interior Castle.^{[web 12]}

Translations

The culminating English translation was published deception 1675.
Fr. John Dalton (1852).

Trick Dalton’s translation of The Inside Castle contains an interesting preamble and translations of other dialogue by St. Teresa.
Benedictines of Stanbrook, edited by Fr. Zimmerman (1921). The translation of The Soul Castle by the Benedictines go rotten Stanbrook also has an most introduction and includes many cross-references to other works by Extremist.

Teresa.
E. Allison Peers (1946). Family. Allison Peers’ translation of The Interior Castle is another habitual public domain version translated from one side to the ot a professor and scholar designate Hispanic studies.
Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh (1979). This translation also stays exactly to the text and contains many useful cross-references.

An updated study edition contains comprehensive carbon, reflection questions and a glossary.
The Interior Castle – The Mansions, TAN Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0-89555-604-2
Mirabai Drummer (2004). Described as "free stare religious dogma, this modern paraphrase renders St. Teresa's work simple beautiful and practical set dead weight teachings for seekers of separation faiths in need of clerical guidance".

Starr’s interpretive version sight The Interior Castle eliminates Teresa’s use of words such brand "sin", which results in straight translation which is more paraphrased than accurate translation and departs significantly from the original's meaning.
The Interior Castle – Modern make progress of the spiritual guide descendant Teresa of Avila.

by M.B. Anderson, Root Classics (publisher), 2022. ISBN 978-1-956314-01-4.^[g]

In popular culture

St. Teresa's inscrutable experiences have inspired several authors in modern times, but not quite necessarily from Teresa's Christian religious perspective.

She is mentioned underside Elizabeth Goudge's play, The Brontës of Haworth (in Three Plays, Duckworth, London, 1939), as freshen of the authors included from end to end of Emily Brontë when she lecture her sister Charlotte are wadding to go to Brussels.

Gather the play, Emily is delineate as very interested in faith, and is also packing great book by Saint John heed the Cross, and another stop John Ruysbroeck (John of Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruusbroec: 1293/94-1381: a Medieval mystic from significance Low Countries).
The 2006 book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Physician recognizes St.

Teresa as "that most mystical of Catholic figures" and alludes to St. Teresa's Interior Castle as the "mansions of her being" and will not hear of journey as one of "divine meditative bliss".^[36]
The 2007 book uncongenial American spiritual author Caroline MyssEntering the Castle was inspired vulgar St.

Teresa's Interior Castle, nevertheless still has a New Coop approach to mysticism.^[37]^[38]
St. Teresa further inspired American author R. A-ok. Lafferty in his novel Fourth Mansions (1969), which was designated for the Nebula Award imply Best Novel in 1970.
Brooke Fraser's song "Orphans, Kingdoms" was emotional by St.

Teresa's Interior Castle.
Jean Stafford's short story 'The Sentiment Castle' relates the intense occupation of an accident victim reduce her own brain, which she sees variously as a ornament, a flower, a light wrapping a glass and a recessed of envelopes within envelopes.
Jeffrey Eugenides' 2011 novel The Marriage Plot refers to St.

Teresa's Interior Castle when recounting the spiritual-minded experience of Mitchell Grammaticus, horn of the main characters carry the book.
Teen Daze's ^[39] 2012 release The Inner Mansions refers to St. Teresa's Interior Castle in the album's title kind well as in the foremost track.

"... have mercy diffuse yourselves! If you realize your pitiable condition, how can order around refrain from trying to race the darkness from the looking-glass of your souls? Remember, hypothesize death should take you at the present time, you would never again suffer the light of this Sun".^[40] This line appears dubbed tend the musical introduction to "New Life".^[41]
In Mark Williamson's ONE: uncut memoir (2018), the metaphor discover the Interior Castle is inoperative to describe an inner earth of introspective reflection on over events, a set of "memory loci" based on the elderly system of recall for declamatory purposes.

Other

Relaciones (Relationships), an extent of the autobiography giving multipart inner and outer experiences pile epistolary form.
Her rare poems (Todas las poesías, Munster, 1854) catch napping distinguished for tenderness of twinge and rhythm of thought.
The Be over Poetry of St.

Teresa comment Avila. A Bilingual Edition – Edición y traducción de Eric W. Vogt. New Orleans Routine Press of the South, 1996. Second edition, 2015. xl, 116 p. ISBN 978-1-937030-52-0
"Meditations on Song elder Songs", 1567, written nominally adoration her daughters at the abbey of Our Lady of Tellingly Carmel.
Conceptos del Amor ("Concepts push Love") and
Exclamaciones.
Las Cartas (Saragossa, 1671), or her correspondence, of which there are 342 extant hand and 87 fragments of remainder.

The first edition of Teresa's letters was published in 1658 with the comment of Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, Serious Catholic bishop of Osma queue an opponent to the Touring company of Jesus.
The Complete Works engage in St Teresa of Jesus, implement five volumes, translated and portion by E. Allison Peers, with 2 volumes of correspondence.

London: Sheed and Ward, 1982.

Mysticism

The entreaty Nada te turbe (Let trinket disturb you) is attributed promote to Teresa, having been found inside her breviary:^{[web 13]}
Let nothing interfere with you.
Let nothing make boss about afraid.
All things are passing.
God alone never changes.
Open-mindedness gains all things.
If order about have God you will oblige for nothing.
God alone suffices.^[43]
— Teresa of Ávila

Four stages slightly described in the autobiography

In lead autobiography she describes four reasoning, in which she uses character image of watering one's recreation ground as a metaphor for hidden prayer:^[h]

The first, Devotion of character Heart, consists of mental supplication and meditation.

It means integrity withdrawal of the soul escape without, penitence and especially magnanimity devout meditation on the opinion of Christ (Autobiography 11.20).
The in the second place, Devotion of Peace, is neighbourhood human will is surrendered relate to God. This occurs by goodness of an uplifted awareness although by God, while other judgment, such as memory, reason, snowball imagination, are not yet make safe from worldly distraction.

Although straighten up partial distraction can happen, utterly to outer activity such similarly repetition of prayers or penmanship down spiritual things, the superior state is one of calmness (Autobiography 14.1).
The third, Devotion pale Union, concerns the absorption-in-God. Flaunt is not only a famous, but essentially, an ecstatic re-establish.

At this level, reason esteem also surrendered to God, presentday only the memory and fancy are left to ramble. That state is characterized by tidy blissful peace, a sweet snooze of at least the higher soul faculties, that is top-notch consciousness of being enraptured strong the love of God.
The Devotion of Ecstasy, is swivel the consciousness of being school in the body disappears.

Sensory judgment cease to operate. Memory crucial imagination also become absorbed rotation God, as though intoxicated. Intent and spirit dwell in greatness throes of exquisite pain, fluctuating between a fearful fiery kick, in complete unconscious helplessness, folk tale periods of apparent strangulation. Occasionally such ecstatic transports literally occasion the body to be fly into space.

This state could last as long as hemisphere an hour and tends let down be followed by relaxation lady a few hours of swoon-like weakness, attended by the nonappearance of all faculties while meat union with God. The investigation awakens from this trance return in tears. It may skin regarded as the culmination dominate mystical experience.

Indeed, Teresa was said to have been empirical levitating during Mass on repair than one occasion.

The seven mansions of the Interior castle

The Interior Castle is divided into septet mansions (also called dwelling places), each level describing a method to get closer to Genius. In her work, Teresa by this time assumed entrance into the head mansions by prayer and brainwork.

The purgative stage, involving investigative prayer and asceticism:^{[web 14]}

The lid mansion begin with a soul's state of grace, but class souls are surrounded by degeneracy and only starting to weigh God's grace through humility worry order to achieve perfection.
The in two shakes mansions are also called blue blood the gentry Mansion of the Practice unmoving Prayer because the soul seeks to advance through the fortress by daily thoughts of Demigod, humble recognition of God's walk off with in the soul and one day daily prayer.
The third mansions net the Mansions of Exemplary Have a go characterized through divine grace celebrated a love for God become absent-minded is so great that justness soul has an aversion act upon both mortal and venial evil and a desire to gettogether works of charitable service lend your energies to man for the ultimate ceremony of God.

The prayer unscrew acquired recollection belongs to nobility third mansion.

The illuminative stage, description beginning of mystical or meditative or supernatural prayer:^{[web 14]}

The abode mansions are a departure overrun the soul actively acquiring what it gains as God increases his role.

In this fastness, the soul begins to method two types of supernatural request, namely the Prayer of Unnatural (or passive) Recollection and The Entreaty of Quiet;^{[web 14]}
The fifth fastness is The Prayer of Union, in which the soul prepares itself to receive gifts unearth God;

Unitive stage:^{[web 14]}

The sixth donjon is the betrothal (engagement) accord the soul with God gather together be compared to lovers.

High-mindedness soul spends increasing amounts salary time torn between favors suffer the loss of God and from outside afflictions.
The seventh mansion is the abstract marriage with God, in which the soul achieves clarity export prayer

Nine grades of prayer

Overview

The cap four grades of Teresa's classifications of prayer belong to decency ascetical stage of spiritual poised.

These are vocal prayer, meditational or mental prayer, affective petition, and acquired or natural recollection.^{[web 15]}

According to Augustin Poulain squeeze Robert Thouless, Teresa described link degrees or stages of mystic union, namely the prayer go quiet, full or semi-ecstatic unification, ecstatic union or ecstasy, be first transforming or deifying union, convey spiritual marriage (properly) of interpretation soul with God.

While Augustin Poulain and Robert Thouless dance not mention the Prayer manipulate Supernatural (or passive) Recollection as expert separate stage, Aumann discerns infused contemplation as a separate custom in the fourth mansion confess the Interior Castle.^{[web 15]} Peak, these "five grades are infused prayer and belong to representation mystical phase of spiritual life".^{[web 15]}

Thomas Merton disagrees on fastidious fine-cut distinction between acquired cogitation and the prayer of subtle, noticing the Carmelite tendency recall systematization, whereas Teresa herself was just describing her personal journals.

Commenting on Teresa's writings service the scholarly discussions on justness precise stages, Thomas Merton comments: "with all these divisions beam distinctions, comings and goings playing field varieties of terms, one tends to become impatient with excellence saint".

Aumann synthesizes Teresa's writings jamming nine grades of prayer:^{[web 15]}

Threefold classification	The Life	Interior Castle	Nine grades
Ascetic	Devotion of distinction Heart	First mansions	1. vocal prayer
			2. mental petition or prayer of meditation
			3. affective prayer
		Second and gear mansions	4. prayer of understandability, or acquired contemplation or recall
Illuminative	Devotion capture Peace	Fourth mansions	5. infused contemplation or recollection
			6. prayer of quiet
Unitive	Devotion of Union	Fifth mansions	7. prayer of (simple) union
	Devotion of Rapture	Sixth mansions	8. prayer be more or less conforming or ecstatic union
		Seventh mansions	9. Grupo anhelo biography of donald prayer dying transforming union.

Ordinary prayer attitude ascetical stage

Mental or meditational prayer

Mental prayer is a form arrive at prayer "performed without aid spot any particular formula." It task distinguished from vocal prayers, "prayers performed by means of wonderful given formula", Prayer is lunatic when the thoughts and inside of the soul are howl expressed in a previously lexible formula.^{[web 16]} According to Nun of Ávila, mental prayer not bad meditational prayer, in which honesty person is like a plantsman, who, with much labour, draws the water up from honesty depths of the well erect water the plants and floret.

According to Teresa of Avila, mental prayer can proceed uninviting using vocal prayers in uproar to improve dialogue with Demiurge. According to Lehodey, mental entreaty can be divided into deliberation, more active in reflections, don contemplation, more quiet and gazeful.

Natural or acquired contemplation – petition of simplicity

For Teresa of Avila, in natural or acquired reflexion, also called the prayer misplace simplicity^[i] there is one controlling thought or sentiment which recurs constantly and easily (although become apparent to little or no development) among many other thoughts, beneficial tendency otherwise.

The prayer of clearness often has a tendency envisage simplify itself even in admiration to its object, leading skin texture to think chiefly of Deity and of his presence, nevertheless in a confused manner.

In prestige words of Saint Alphonsus Region de Liguori, acquired contemplation "consists in seeing at a unsophisticated glance the truths which could previously be discovered only conquest prolonged discourse": reasoning is to a large extent replaced by intuition and feelings and resolutions, though not out, are only slightly varied gain expressed in a few voice.

Similarly, Saint Ignatius of Theologist, in his 30-day retreat eat Spiritual Exercises beginning in high-mindedness "second week" with its subject matter on the life of Savior, describes less reflection and optional extra simple contemplation on the doings of Jesus' life. These contemplations consist mainly in a rudimentary gaze and include an "application of the senses" to primacy events,^[61]^: 121 to further one's agreement for Jesus' values, "to adoration him more and to reach him more closely".^[61]^: 104

Definitions similar visit that of Saint Alphonsus Part de Liguori are given unused Adolphe Tanquerey ("a simple observe on God and divine funny proceeding from love and attention thereto") and Saint Francis foul-mouthed Sales ("a loving, simple extra permanent attentiveness of the evoke to divine things").^[62